Which process primarily causes cirque formation beneath a glacier terminus?

💡 Explanation

When a glacier terminus occupies a mountain hollow, frost wedging weakens bedrock and glacial plucking exploits these fractures, eroding and shaping depressions because of freeze-thaw cycles and ice movement. Therefore, frost wedging and glacial plucking cause cirque formation, rather than chemical weathering, aeolian abrasion or thermal expansion, which all require different conditions.

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